Contents

People

Demography

The tiny equatorial island of Nauru has been inhabited for about 2,000 years. Today, most of the people of Nauru live along a narrow and fertile coastal strip of the island. The total population numbers in excess of 11,000. [1]

Ethnicity

Its population is approximately 58 percent indigenous Nauruan and 26 percent other Pacific Islander, with sizable minorities of both Europeans and Chinese, each numbering about 8 percent respectively. The indigenous Nauruans are a mixture of three Pacific ethnic groups: Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian. A small overseas population also lives in Nauru, made up mainly of Chinese, Filipinos, Tuvaluans and I-Kiribati. [2]

Language

Nauruans also have their own distinct Pacific language called Nauruan, though most people speak or understand English. [3]

Religion

The population is largely Christian as a result of missionary activity in the 19th century. Most Christians tend to belong to Protestant denominations. [4] There are also significant Baha'i and Buddhist minorities.

Education

Education in Nauru is both free and compulsory from age 5 through 16. There are 6 infant schools, 2 primary schools, 1 secondary school, a technical school and a mission school on Nauru. Students who wish to pursue higher education are often granted scholarships to study abroad. [5]